Golden monkfish With Curried Vadouvan Mussels And Orzo Recipe
60 minutes plus overnight curing and drying time
Ingredients
- 50g of fine salt
- 50g of caster sugar
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1 monkfish loin, (approx. 600g), trimmed
- 150g of mussels, cleaned
- 400g of white wine
- 160g of orzo
- 25g of unsalted butter
- 10g of chives, finely sliced
- 10g of mint, leaves picked
- 5g of cumin seeds
- 10g of coriander seeds
- 3g of fenugreek seeds
- 5g of mustard seeds
- 3g of black peppercorns
- 3g of chilli flakes
- 1 black cardamom pod
- 5g of ground turmeric
- 5g of sweet smoked paprika
- 1 dash of vegetable oil
- 2 shallots, finely sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 30g of ginger, finely chopped
- 5g of smoked paprika
- 2 medium tomatoes, quartered
- 1 large carrot, finely sliced into matchsticks
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 lime, zested and juiced
- 40g of coriander, pick and reserve 10g leaves then chop the rest, including the stalks
Method · 1 h
- The day before you want to serve the dish, cure and dry the monkfish. Combine the salt and sugar then mix through the lemon zest. Cover the monkfish in the cure, pressing it onto the fish, then set aside on a tray in the fridge to cure for 1 hour
- Wipe off the cure then rinse the fish under cold running water. Pat dry with kitchen paper then wrap in a clean cloth and place in the fridge on a tray to dry. Once fully dry, remove the cloth and return to the fridge to air-dry overnight – this will give the fish a better texture (see note)
- For the vadouvan spice mix, toast the seeds, peppercorns, chilli flakes and black cardamom pod in a small dry frying pan then remove and allow to cool. Blend in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar until fine, then strain through a sieve to remove any woody pieces. Mix in the turmeric and paprika then weigh out 20g (any leftover can be kept in an airtight container for up to 3 months)
- For the mussels, heat a large lidded wok or deep pan until smoking, then add the mussels quickly followed by the white wine. Cover and steam the mussels for 4-6 minutes – they're ready when they open. Remove the mussels to a bowl (discard any that remain closed) and strain the stock through a sieve into a separate bowl. Set both aside
- In a separate medium-sized lidded saucepan, heat a little vegetable oil on a medium heat, then sweat the shallots, garlic and ginger until soft and translucent. Add 20g of the vadouvan spice mix and paprika and mix until the shallots are coated and dry
- Add the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes until cooked down into a purée, then add the carrots and cook for a further 5 minutes until softened
- Pour in the reserved mussel stock and simmer for 5-8 minutes until the carrots have cooked through. Transfer the sauce into a blender and blend on a high speed until smooth
- Meanwhile, cook the orzo in salted boiling water in a small lidded saucepan, according to the packet instructions. Drain, reserving a little pasta water, then transfer to a slightly larger medium-sized lidded saucepan. Stir through most of the curry sauce along with the citrus zest and juice, chopped coriander and mussels. Taste and season with salt – add a little more curry sauce to create a lightly dressed consistency, if needed. Cover and set aside in a warm place
- Place a 20cm frying pan on a medium-high heat. Slice the fish in half, then add it to the pan with the butter. Once the butter has melted and begun to foam, use a spoon to baste the fish to help it cook evenly while developing a rich, golden colour. Once golden brown on one side, turn the fish over and continue basting until golden. Remove and allow to rest
- To serve, divide the orzo and mussels between serving plates and sprinkle over the sliced chives. Slice and arrange the monkfish on top then spoon the remaining sauce around the fish. Garnish with the picked coriander and mint leaves and serve immediately
Chef Jack Bond seamlessly utilises Lakeland's versatile TriClad range of pans to steam mussels, cook a vadouvan curry sauce base, boil orzo and pan-roast monkfish to bring together his sweet and salty dish of seafood, curried fish and creamy orzo. This quality set of pans demonstrates how the home cook can take advantage of the scratch-resistant textured surface and triple-layer construction for superior strength – meaning you can be confident and bold in the kitchen and know your pans will have your back.
Jack says: “Curing and drying the monkfish means you can cook it at a relatively high heat without drying it out – this allows a deep, even caramelisation to develop on the outside when basted in butter, whilst keeping the flesh succulent.”
Imperial
VADOUVAN SPICE BLEND
VADOUVAN BASE
- Spice grinder or pestle and mortar.
